The use of cellular telephones and other wireless devices onboard aircraft has, to this point, been banned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC reference section 22.925, part 22, subpart H) and restricted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Similarly other countries have followed this procedure. The FCC ban is in place primarily to avoid interference with terrestrial cellular systems while an aircraft flies over a cellular network. The FAA regulations restrict the use of cell phones on aircraft to ensure against interference with onboard communication and navigation equipment. However, it remains possible that these restrictions on airborne use of cell phones and other wireless devices may be withdrawn if certain procedures are developed and technological hurdles overcome.
Proposed solutions to the concerns regarding terestrial interference have resulted in systems which permit a transmitting portable electronic device (T-PED) operating below threshold transceiving settings to access wireless access point for WLAN devices and/or a a pico cell for controlling cellphone access on the aircraft. In small cellular communications networks, pico cells are the smallest of radio cells.
Guidelines governing allowable settings have been proposed by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) in document number DO-294B entitled “Guidance on Allowing Transmitting Portable Electronic Devices” and incorporated herein by reference.
This document addresses near-term T-PED technologies such as existing devices enabled with cellular technologies, wireless local area networks (WLANS), and wireless personal area networks (WPANS) as well as emerging PED technologies, for example active RF Identification (RFID) tags, transmitting medical devices, and picocells for such devices enabled by cellular technologies for use onboard aircraft. The document defines a process by which aircraft operators and/or manufacturers may assess the risk of interference due to a specific T-PED technology within any aircraft type and model. It also provides a means for aviation authorities and others to determine acceptable and enforceable policies and processes for passenger and crew use of T-PEDs.
With the added convenience of in-flight wireless communication capabilities for passengers comes the need for monitoring the nature of those communications to ensure that any RF transmissions remain within given tolerance levels deemed to be safe with respect to potential interference with terrestrial or onboard systems. It is impractical for crew members to be reasonably certain that non-permitted uses (e.g. prohibited devices, permitted devices operating at unauthorized transceiving settings or at unauthorized times, etc.) are not occurring merely by visual observation. Additionally, the possibility exists that unintentional prohibited uses (e.g. unauthorized devices being inadvertently left on when stowed) may occur where crew members would be completely unaware of the violation.
As such, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for monitoring the operations of onboard T-PEDs to ensure compliance with usage guidelines.